The problems of the youth

How do young people spend their spare time? What leisure activities do they prefer? These and other questions are often asked in a sociological surveys. The results of the opinion poll conducted among young people living in big cities and in the country add up to the following hierarchy of pastimes (with minor variations from place to place): music in combination with such forms of group activities as discos, concerts, and café-cum-club come first, followed by the theatre and reading. Then come films, museums, amateur arts and engineering, listening to records, radio, going out to dances; and finally, TV and classical music. The questionnaire, circulated among students, pupils and young workers, show that the arts are regarded second only to contacts with friends (or a girl/boy friend).

However, the life is rather difficult for the teenagers and youth nowadays because they have a lot of problems. I think the most important of them is using drugs. I know that this was the problem of America and European countries some years ago and now many Russian boys and girls use drugs too. The drugs are expensive and teenagers try to get money at any rate and in any way to buy a dose. Sometimes they commit a crime or a suicide. Besides, drugs are very dangerous and harmful for young organisms.

The next important problem is using alcohol. Children begin drinking alcohol at the age of 7 or 8. Often they steel money to buy drinks containing alcohol. Nowadays many girls and women smoke which is also very harmful for health.

The fourth problem is unemployment. Today education is very expensive. Many parents can’t pay for education of their children and young people remain without certificate or diploma. They want to do well-paid qualified job in a bank or a firm but they can’t get this work without education.

I think that it is impossible to solve all these problems immediately. The Russian Government and the political and social leaders must work out special programmes and do their best to improve the situation.

Most young people admit they do not know how to plan their leisure time. To use sociological terminology, their leisure qualifications are inadequate. This is causing anxiety among some Russian scholars: has the TV really superseded reading? However, close scrutiny shows that there is little ground for worry. In 1964, when television was establishing itself in this country, 22 per cent of young people were interested more in reading. In 1970, when there was a TV set in every household, 49 per cent were for reading, and today, the figure is 45 per cent. Today’s young people could be called the tele-reading generation. In contrast to previous generations, they draw from various ‘channels’ of culture, which complement each other. What we are witnessing is an integration process involving TV-viewing, reading, and other sources of information.

As for me within the general framework of my lifestyle (including study, leisure and earning money – in summer I tried to work as a news-vendor) reading leads the way as a cultural activity, leaving both television and music behind. I can read late into the night. At a time when all are asleep it seems so quiet that I indulge in reading. I’m not a lover of poetry to my regret. Sometimes I devour book after book and I skip as I read.

Russia has a long and rich literary tradition. It leads the world for the number of titles (doth Russian and foreign) published yearly, and a number of readers. Of course the young people like to be entertained (by watching TV shows, reading detective stories, etc.). But they certainly know how to find their way amid the great variety of cultural values, and they know how to tell genuine art from imitation. A few more words about music, which play a very important part in young people’s lives. Rock is certainly more popular than classical music. Russian pop groups who play original music and meaningful texts have an especially large following.

Actually the young people know how to find antidotes to stereotyped tastes and temptations. They are getting increasingly interested in the leisure activities which encourage self-expression and personal growth.